A Splash of Arcana

Pobyd Perfections Bakery #2

by S. Usher Evans

Magical baker Lillie Dean is settling into her new life in Silverkeep, along with all the creatures who'd come out of hiding after magic was made legal once more. The south side of town near the wharf is bustling with new neighbors, including merchant Jeremias Scarp, who's just procured a magical pendant that he swears is going to take his fledgling business to the next level.

But when that pendant goes missing, Lillie's on the case to find out who might've taken it, while also avoiding the attention of powerful Mr. Globe. But when Sheriff Juno decides to close the case without investigation, Lillie must use all her wits to expose the culprit before Jeremias's business goes under.

A Splash of Arcana is the second book in the Pobyd Perfections Bakery cozy fantasy mystery series.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Womens

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 22, 2025

About the author

S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a "real job" as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit.

Reviews

[Mattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! I love the townsfolk of Silverkeep!

This series has certainly benefited from some of the criticism Weary Dragon Inn received in its earliest books. While the townsfolk of Silverkeep aren’t all friendly to Lillie, there isn’t an overwhelming sense that everyone is a jerk like there was in the first Weary Dragon Inn book.

This book finds Lillie trying to track down a stolen magical pendant and a lot of the clues lead her to Audo Globe, the powerful merchant in town who has his thumb in everything.

The books greatly expands the world and relationships and it’s just extremely fun and endearing the whole way through.

[The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun cozy fantasy mystery with Lillie Dean, the baker. I enjoyed the mystery element and Lillie's attempts at sleuthing. And I'm really intrigued by how this author is bringing in the ways in which divisions in society often come about, how apparent differences and the interests of individuals or small groups who want to control different elements in society end up nudging the greater populace into marking their differences into outright divisions and even hostilities. This particular volume really gets into the social aspects underlying human interactions and offers some pertinent insights.

I'm also having fun with the dynamics of Lillie and Julian. In the previous volume they were very much antagonists, but that has grown into a friendship in this volume. It's nice that things are not rushing to force some kind of romantic relationship between them and while there are hints this trilogy could be a slow burn romance between these two characters, if I'm wrong and they stay friends, I'm also okay with it. Lillie simply proves the point that kindness will get you further than animosity, and staying grounded and open even when others are harsh and judgemental will more often than not lead to better outcomes. It's a lovely life lesson explored through various relationships in this story, but that stands out in the interactions between Lillie and Julian in particular.

If you enjoy fantasy but want something cozy and sweet that still keeps you guessing, this series will likely be a great fit for you.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that the returning magicals and towns folk who moved in during the Queen's reign have come to a peaceful resolution, our MC, Lillie is actively working to settle in at her bakery, and in her new community. Like the Weary Dragon Inn, the mystery is light and a great vehicle into getting to know the delightful cast of interesting regular characters and all of their secrets. So far I'm really loving this series.

S. Usher Evans has the knack for creating a cozy, low stakes world with enough mystery, magic and intrigue that I just want to crawl in and live there and this series is no exception. On to book number three. I highly recommend them for fans of cozy fantasy. (4.25 stars)

[Kimthebookishbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another perfectly written and narrated cozy book from S Usher Evans and Jess Morano! I love that Lillie is still growing and learning, and it was great to see her using what she'd learned from a past experience to try to stop someone else from making the same mistake. I also enjoyed watching her interact with a couple people from her past that she showed kindness and understanding, even when they were rude and unkind to her.
I also love all the baked goods as someone that loves to bake, it's always fun. But definitely makes me hungry! Have cinnamon rolls or chocolate chip cookies on hand when you read, just in case!

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fun, light reading stories. I enjoy them after reading stories that hit me hard. I enjoy the characters and the community building values that are presented. Showing people learning to get along and work together despite their differences is refreshing. I also enjoy how the motivations are revealed. An action that seems evil turns out to be motivated by events or emotions that are relatable. Pretty much like the “real world”. The happy endings in these little books are something I need in a world that seems to be going crazy.

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant about Lillie at first, she was a villain. But she's so darn cute that I can't help but love her. And she's trying SO HARD to make up for her past, love seeing that. I don't know if it was just me or what but this one had me laughing out loud at the end. What a cute little mystery!

[Stacey Henning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of suspectsfrom the warves to Kristen's farm, searching for a magical pendant she saw stolen fr

Lily explores Silverkeep from the warves to Kristen's farm, searching for a magical pendant she saw stolen from her merchant neighbor. Lots of suspects and motives are explored. Much better than the first book in this series

[aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Lillie goodness. More baking goodness. More cozy goodness. More light mystery goodness. I am quite enjoying all of Evans's books and this is another fun read. This one finds Lillie attempting to find a magical pendant that went missing from a sailor friend. I'm moving on to the next!

[Liz Delton]

Really enjoying this series! (Though I do still miss Bev!)
Lillie gets involved in a mystery concerning her neighbor, and has to rely on her wiles and baked goods to solve the problem. I enjoyed delving more into the characters of Silverkeep!

[Pygment · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dumb lead character who pushes forward for dumb reasons. I listened to 70% of the book and then realized I don't care about the plot. Off to listen to something else.
it's a shame. I've listened to the rest of the series set in that world.

[Phi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another absolutely delightful story in this series! I really love this whole world that Sush has created! Cozy and delightful and just an absolutely magical read!

[Selina⚔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely enjoying this series than the Weary Dragon Inn's! Lillie is such a great heroine 😌❤️

Only 3 stars though because it's obviously just a filler book

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great cozy mystery. I love seeing Lillie trying so hard to atone for her past while settling in to her new life.

[Life with Steffie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the cosy series by S Usher Evans

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine sequel, I found it a little better than the first book.

[CONNIE BALTHROP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story. We find out more about the people in town.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy these cozy mysteries with lots of food descriptions, the characters and community are stronger in this volume and hopefully will continue to be.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fine read, I couldn't get into the missing pendant plot for some reason. Need more in the romance/relationship building dept.

[Alicia Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, cozy read. I love this world and enjoy reading every story about it.

[Paige Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but Lily has lost all emotional intelligence. What do you mean you don't know why you feel fluttery after you oogled the rival baker's arms?

[emeraldragonlady (Maddie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lillie gets to solve two mysteries at once in this book. She gets to unknowingly solve a pest control problem. Then the theft of a super rare magical item. And somehow there’s weird and odd magic things happening, and those with magical powers are getting headaches and their magic is going out of control. Lillie is determined to get to the bottom of all of this and along they way meet lots of new Creatures.